>> axelrod: tonight, the romney bounce. >> let's make it happen! thank you so much. >> axelrod: as they get ready for the second debate, new polls show the first one was fuel for mitt romney. nancy cordes joins us with the latest from both camps. also tonight, hope for malala. the pakistani school girl clinging to life after the taliban shot her at close range. doctors see some promising signs. elizabeth palmer reports from pakistan. lessons learned on the battle fields of iraq and afghanistan are saving lives here at home. bob orr with that story. >> it's awesome. it's so big, too. i can't believe it's going down the street. >> axelrod: and mission improbable-- a space shuttle inching along the streets of los angeles on its final mission. ben tracy takes us along for the ride. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news."

>> axelrod: good evening. i'm jim axelrod. in 24 days, americans will elect a president. according to the latest national gallup poll, mitt romney now leads barack obama by two points, 49 to 47, a statistical dead heat. the state of the race has been shaken up in the last 10 days since the first presidential debate. look at florida, ape crucial state for both men. a poll by two of the state's largest newspapers has governor romney up by seven points, 51 to 44. that's an eight-point swing since september when the president led by one. this creates more pressure for both candidates heading into their second debate on tuesday in new york. let's bring in correspondent nancy cordes with the president in williamsburg, virginia, where he's preparing. nancy, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, jim. and polls taken this week also show governor romney pulling even in colorado and virginia.

so the obama campaign has cleared the president's schedule the next three days. he is here doing debate prep, and that's about it, a shift from the way he spent his time before the first debate. after a short 20-minute flight from andrews air force base, the president headed to this upscale golf resort along the james river, though aides say he likely won't be hitting the links, unlike in nevada where the president prepared for his first debate, there will be no rallies, eernght, leaving more time for mock debates after an uneven performinance denver. governor romney and his top aides held a practice session this morning at a hotel in columbus, ohio, before head toig a rally with 3500 supporters who cheered when romney brought up the first debate. >> i had a debate about a week ago. i enjoyed that a great deal. i have to be honest. chopper chopper. >> axelrod: nancy, i'm wondering how the president's performance in the first debate is shaping preparation for the second debate. >> reporter: first and

foremost, jim, he is simply spending more time preparing. there's really no substitute from standing there at a podium, taking questions from the left and the right, questions that you might not be prepared to answer, otherwise. before the first debate, his campaign was really lowering expectations, saying the president's pretty rusty. they're not saying it this time. they're saying he's taking preparation very seriously. and they've also got to contend with a new debate format. this debate on tuesday night will be a town hall format. so both he and governor romney will be taking questions from the moderator, but also from members of the audience, and that creates a challenge for the obama campaign, first of all, because governor romney is very comfortable in a town hall format. for a long time he was doing more town halls out on the campaign trail than rallies. but also because if the obama campaign is look for a comeback, it's challenging. he can't go after governor romney as much as he would in a normal debate format because he's also going to have to be

working on connecting with those members of the audience and dealing with the questions that they ask him. >> axelrod: nancy cordes reporting for us tonight in williamsburg, virginia. thank you. investigators want to know who shot at the obama campaign office in denver. a large window was shattered by a bullet yesterday. campaign workers were inside at the time though no one was hit. police are reviewing surveillance video but have no suspects. in the denver sush of westminster, police are warning of a predator at large after the mutilated body of 10-year-old jessica ridgeway was found in a park several miles from her home. today, neighbors wanted to celebrate the life of the fifth grader, setting off balloons in her memory. in pakistan today, chance of malala, we are with you, supporting 14-year-old malala yousufzai, shot in the head on her way home from school. the taliban claims responsibility for the assassination attempt four days ago. doctors today saw signs of hope as liz palmer reports.

>> reporter: rarely have pakistanis come together in such shared outrage. in a country used to both terrorist attacks and violence against women, this shooting marks a new low. and it's triggered vigils, prayers, and protests. malala was transferred into the care of pakistani military surges this week. they removed the bullet that had been fired into her head but which came to rest in her upper chest. today, though malala's on a ventilator, her doctors were trying to gauge the damage, said military spokesman asim bajwa. >> they reduced her sedation today. malala did respond to that and she did move her four limbs. >> reporter: since 2009, malala yousufzai has deified local taliban edict and campaigned for the reist girls to an education. >> if you can help us in our education, so, please, help us. >> reporter: that put her on

the taliban hit list. the extremists have threatened to come and shoot malala again if she survives. you can protect her? >> yeah, surely. you know, the state will do their best to protect her. she is a symbol of hope. she's, you know, a beacon of light for all the girls of this country. we would love to protect every malala of this country. >> reporter: that's the first tall order for pakistan security forces. the second will be to arrest malala's attackers. the police have detained and then released several people over the past few days, but so far, not the man who actually pulled the trigger. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, islamabad. >> axelrod: tensions continue to rise between neighbors turkey and syria. syria flexed the muscles today by moving tanks and troops to its border with turkey and by banning turkish airline flights over its territory.

earlier this week, turkey intercepted a syrian plane, a move syria called air piracy. tonight we're hearing from al qaeda's leader for the first time since september 11. in an audio posted to a web site, ayman al-zawahiri urges muzz lums to wage holy war against u.s. and israel over the youtube video that mockedly the prophet muhammad and praises the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, plibbia, and calls for more protests at u.s. enemies. news that foreclosures dropped to the lowest level in five years. auto sales jumped to the highest level in five years. and yesterday, consumer confidence also increased, all signs that the economy is improving. but john blackstone reports that unemployment remains a concern, even if places you might not expect it to be. >> the new iphone 5. >> reporter: with each new product, each groundbreaking innovation, high-tech is an employment magnet. >> there is a hiring boom in silicon valley.

>> reporter: kris stadelman helps high-tech workers find jobs. the tougher part is keeping those jobs. >> occupations are creating and destroyed here faster than anywhere else, just like new technologies are creating and destroyed faster here and replaced and become obsolete faster than anywhere else. >> reporter: so with every new round of hiring, there are also layoffs by the thousands. the unemployment rate in the silicon valley area is 8.5%, higher than the national average. >> life is not as great in silicon valley as we'd like to think. >> reporter: tom schlemmer, logistics manager, has been downsized four times. >> we're surrounded here by over-achievers and innovators, and people doing great, great work, and oftentimes, it is tough to have to explain that you're in a position where you're still searching. >> reporter: he's been out of work for 10 months, an eternity in silicon valley. >> the longer you are noipped,

the less-- unemployed the less desirable you become. things change so quickly. you haven't been doing it for six months or more, you're already obsolete. >> reporter: schlemmer's 25 years of experience are often brushed off. >> gee, tom, you're over-qualified for this particular role we're trying to fill. >> no employer is ever going to admit that they're looking for a younger worker. they'll say that they're looking for a fresh perspective. >> reporter: and that is leaving many veterans of the valley feeling old before their time. >> i'm not ready to retire. i'm absolutely not ready to retire. >> reporter: tom schlemmer is proud of the trophy he got at sun microsystems, but his best of the best award is not good enough to guarantee work in silicon valley today. john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. >> axelrod: the meningitis outbreak traced to tainted steroids has claimed another victim. a 15th person has died, this one in indiana. federal health officials say

there are 197 cases in 13 states. still ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, the summer drought crushed the corn crop but powered the pumpkin harvest. in los angeles, a one-of-a-kind parade, and a life-saving lesson for the f.b.i. stay with us.

people were killed today in two bomb attacks in southern afghanistan. six of those deaths were in kandahar, where a suicide bomb or a motor bike blew himself up at an intelligence office. one nato service member and five afghans were killed. the taliban is claiming responsibility. applying lessons learnedded from treating battle field casualties has long produced great benefits here at home. the use of triannual choppers in

vietnam changed trauma treatment. police officers have better bulleted proof vestes and bob orr tells us now about one low-tech advancement the f.b.i. is implementing. >> drop your gun! >> reporter: at the f.b.i.'s training academy, prospective agents practice responding to bank robberies and office shootings. >> i was shot in the arm. >> reporter: beyond guns, these next-generation g-men are also learning how to use another piece of equipment-- a simple tourniquet. the f.b.i. is adopting a lesson learned on the battlefields of iraq and afghanistan. the quick field application of tourniquets has helped the u.s. military save thns of lives. >> a little bit of the feel. >> reporter: dr. william fabbri is in charge of the f.b.i.'s emergency medical training. so if you can stop the bleeding in the field of an extreme injury to a limb, you can save a life. >> absolutely. if you apply the tourniquet early, their likelihood of survival is extremely high. >> reporter: for f.b.i. agent

michael johnson is the tourniquet is just as important as the rifle he carries. johnson is a paramedic on an foeb swat team. >> if i'm the first guy through the door, i take a hail of gump, i dive into a corner, my guys can't get to me, i i'm am doing this myself. >> reporter: f.b.i. recruits spend 16 weeks learning to become agents and just one day in tourniquet training, but that's enough, dr. fabbri saysness, for agents to learn how to buy critical time. >> they are trained and equipped and confident to do the right thing in that one, two, three minutes that will make a difference before the performs areist. >> reporter: fabbri believes, just as on battlefield, tourniquets can be life savers at crime scenes. >> axelrod: next on tonight's cbs evening news, looking out for signs of concussion in young athletes.

since 1978, no one named earnhardt raced tonight at charlotte motor speedway. dale earnhardt jr., one of nascar's most popular drivers, is sidelined by concussion. brain injuries in sports are under increasing scrutiny, as michelle miller tells us, even among athletes in high school. >> reporter: no matter what the sport at ridgewood high school in new jersey, nick nicholaides is the certified trainer athletes count on to prevent injury. >> how does it feel? >> reporter: he's also the guy that puts them to the test after every hit. >> as symptomatic as you are, you should go home and rest. >> reporter: looking for any sign of brain injury. >> my second year here i saw an alarming trend of a lot of concussions.

concussion is one of those injuries you don't always see signs of which you look at someone. >> reporter: so nicholaides creates his own concussion campaign, using a video to educate students on the dangers of concussions and to recognize the symptoms early. dr. rosemarie moser has studied the impact of concussions on student athletes for the last 25 years. >> they tend to be most vulnerable, more vulnerable than adults because their brains are still young. they're still tbroag. they're still changing. >> reporter: according to the cdc, those injuries caused by a bump, blow, or a jolt to the the head take longer to heal in minors. symptoms range from headaches and fatigue to dizziness and nausea. >> i started feeling symptoms immediately, but for some reason, i kept playing. >> reporter: hockey player megan donnelly fell on the ice last year, a jolt that put her out of commission for six months. it was her fourth concussion. do you think you've already pushed the limit? >> if i get another one, there's, like, the potential

that i'd be out for, like, even longer than six months next time. so i'm not really too eager to go back to sports. >> reporter: now a junior, donnelly is spending her time this semester focusing on academics. are you hesitant to play sports, contact sports now? >> not really. i'm someone who goes out there and gives it all. >> reporter: colin keating has recovered from the concussion he suffered while playing basketball as an eighth grader two years ago. >> whenever i get hit in the head, i always take a step back and make sure, like, i'm fine. >> reporter: but you know what to look for. >> yeah. i-- i actually do some of the tests that nick does. >> reporter: and that's the effect nicholaides had hoped for. >> that's very encouraging to me. educating kids to let you know when they're hurt. how does it feel? >> reporter: and to get help from a health care professional sooner rather than later. michelle miller, cbs news, ridgewood, new jersey. >> axelrod: ahead on the cbs

evening news, the joys of a bumper crop of pumpkins.

>> axelrod: the hot, dry summer ruined corn crops in many parts of the nation, but the drought conditions were just right for that october favorite, the pumpkin. elaine quijano reports. >> reporter: vernon stade says in his 35 years of farming in the northern illinois town of mchenry, this year's searing drought proved to be the worst ever for his corn crop. >> this should be about six feet high now to seven feet, and it's really only about three and a half. >> reporter: but what's bad for stade's corn has been good for another crop. >> i see big pumpkins. >> pumpkins thrive in exact

let's kind of warm, dry conditions that existed this summer, so stade's 35-acre pumpkin patch has yielded a bumper crop this year. >> whoo! >> reporter: he says this pumpkin harvest is the best he's seen in 10 years, and it's arrived just in time for the families who flock to his farm before halloween, posing for pictures and celebrating fall with stade's own creation, the pumpkin cannon. >> i told her it's my favorite time of the year because we love having people come out to the farm. i love to see kids laughing and screaming, scweelg, running through the pumpkins. >> good boy! >> reporter: it's also boosted his bottom line after the kraut took half his corn crop. if you had to rely on just corn alone, where would you be right now? >> i'd be in bad shape. you know, i'd be looking to cut back in a lot of areas. get more alones, too.

>> his bountiful harvest almost guarantees repeat customers. >> each one is perfect. definitely coming back every year. >> reporter: a smashing success. during a tough year for farmers. elaine quijano, cbs news, mchenry, illinois. >> axelrod: comin coming up on e cbs evening news, this vehicle makes wide turns, very wide turns.

parades go, this has to be even bigger than the rose parade. it's the meandering crawl of the space shuttle "endevor" through the streets of los angeles, attracting crowds as it made its way to its final home. >> reporter: people in los angeles can be a bit blase about seeing stars, yet seeing a starship is a show even hollywood cannot rival. >> oh, it's awesome.

it's so big, too. i can't believe it's going down the street. >> reporter: you don't normally see the space shuttle outside a donut shop or crossing over the freeway. crowds got so close to endeavor this morning at the l.a. forum, they could read the numbers on the heat shield tiles. >> i want to see it because i never saw a space shuttle this close. andented to be an astronaut. >> reporter: moving a 78-ton spacecraft in the second largest city in the country is an endeavor in itself, and just six people are in charge of moving it down the street. they walk alongside the giant rig guiding it with a joy stick. the crowd has been rooting for him. >> there was enthusiasm when you worked your way through a real tight spot. they could see it and they knew what was going on. >> reporter: on some neighborhood street, the shuttle's wing span had just millimeters to spare. nearly 400 trees were cut down, dozens of traffic lights removed, and 74 power lines raised to accommodate the five-story-tall shuttle.

jim mayer works for the city. >> we put taller power poles in, took the shorter power poles out, and raised the wires to the higher clearance. that way we can keep the power on for the consumers in this area. >> reporter: the streets also had to be reinforced with 2700 metal plates. this whole thing weighs in at 375,000 pounds. >> this is the only time this is going to happen. it's the last shuttle, and it's never going to do this again, and none of them are ever going to do it again. >> liftoff for the final launch of "endeavor." >> reporter: "endeavor" was built in california and arrived home in style weeks ago on the back of a 747. the schultz will dock here tonight at the california science center, the end of its final mission. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. >> axelrod: that's cbs evening news for tonight. thanks for joining us. good night. captioning spons

league championship series. the financial boost the racr the pennant could have on or economy. clean up begins in the afteh of a devastating fire at a popular bay area restauranty a former tenant of the builg tells cbs 5 -- he's not surprised about what happen. and actor and television ho, gary collins has died after being rushed to the hospita. cbs five eyewitness news is next. good evening, i'm ann,,,,